Never since its founding by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and university activist Dennis Hayes on April 22, 1970, have we needed to actively recognize and celebrate Earth Day more than we do right now. As our country’s new leadership in the White House eagerly dismantles the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), proposing 85 percent cuts in personnel and funding while pursuing a mad and mindless policy of “drill, baby, drill” and “tariffs, baby, tariffs,” creative action has never been more imperative. All of us urgently need to help save our planet from its ongoing, incremental destruction. Earth Day helped induce President Richard Nixon (a Republican) to found the U.S. EPA by executive order in 1970.

Beyond its intrinsic national—indeed, global—significance, Earth Day holds special meaning here in Sonoma Valley. On this date in 1990, Sonoma resident Richard Dale sponsored our town’s first Earth Day celebration. That event proved so successful and so appreciated locally that he and other event organizers decided to found the Sonoma Ecology Center (SEC). Happy 35th Birthday, SEC!

That terrific local organization has since grown greatly in both size and significance, with a current annual budget of about $3 million. It helps preserve our lands and waters and educates our residents in techniques of effective environmental action. From its operation of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (after State Parks announced its intention to close it), to managing Sonoma Garden Park on behalf of the City of Sonoma, to providing environmental education in each of our local schools, and to ongoing efforts in ecological restoration, wildfire risk reduction, and carbon sequestration through biochar usage, SEC shows what’s possible in the spirit of “Earth Day—every day!”

Now, of course, we face intensified ecological challenges—not only locally, but globally. Like our political truths in 1776, the effects of our warming planet are indeed “self-evident.” Denial in D.C. flies in the face of facts on the ground here and everywhere. Sonoma Valley’s temperatures increase inexorably, year after year. When we were kids, we had never heard the term “Atmospheric River.” And need I point to our wildfire destruction here in both 2017 and again in 2020, let alone the even larger destruction witnessed recently in L.A., where “fire season” now happens in January? I often call it all “global weirding” rather than global warming. Despite the big lies and the big denials, climate impacts are real—and increasingly painful for all of us.

How can we celebrate Earth Day here in Sonoma in 2025? Let me count some of the many ways:

Go Outdoors. On Earth Day and every day, spend more time outside. Visit a new park or forest while practicing “leave no trace” principles to protect natural spaces. Here in Sonoma, walk our local trails or stroll around a vineyard; hike the Sonoma Overlook Trail or Montini Preserve; enjoy Sonoma Garden Park on Seventh Street East; consider hiking or picnicking at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park; visit Audubon Canyon Ranch’s Bouverie Preserve; hike in Bartholomew Park; enjoy Jack London State Historic Park.

Live Sustainably. On Earth Day and every day, act responsibly in the face of climate challenges. While our individual actions may seem small in the face of a global emergency, every positive climate action counts. It pushes the whole system in the right direction. Others—friends, family, even strangers—notice and respond. Collectively, each action in Sonoma adds up to real impact. What if more of us—both visitors and residents—stopped buying so many things in plastic? What if we walked or biked instead of driving? Could we switch one or more of our home’s appliances to energy-efficient alternatives? Can we move Sonoma incrementally toward becoming a truly “climate-smart” tourist destination?

Support and Advocate. Support climate-focused organizations—local (here in Sonoma), countywide, statewide, and national. Find your preferred actions in the city’s detailed list of climate strategies. Get involved with Sonoma Ecology Center’s activities: clean-ups, outings, conservation projects. Push for our city’s evolving “green links” initiative and tree-planting efforts to be explicitly included in our new General Plan—and then ensure they’re implemented effectively.

Tap Into Your Own Networks. You are the best messenger to reach the people around you—because they know and trust you. Share information about climate change, ecological conservation, and eco-friendly habits with friends, family, neighbors, or through social media.

Participate. Attend meetings of our city’s seven-member Climate Action Commission, either in person or via KSVY. (Dates, times, and locations are posted on the city’s website.)

Attend. Finally, please join us at the Sebastiani Theater on Saturday, April 26, at 1:00 pm for a special free event honoring Earth Day 2025. It will include a screening of a unique new film created for The New Yorker magazine, a presentation of nature sounds from Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, and a ceremony honoring Sonoma Ecology Center’s founding on Earth Day 35 years ago. It’s free—please come join us!

In sum, in all these different ways, do your part to make Earth Day 2025 memorable—both on April 22 and every day thereafter.

David Morell holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University. He served as an official of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in both Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, and helped direct California’s hazardous waste program as an appointee of Governor Jerry Brown. He currently serves on the Sonoma Ecology Center Board of Directors and chairs the City of Sonoma Climate Action Commission.

As we mark 35 years of work in Sonoma Valley, we invite you to join us in protecting the land, water, and wildlife that make this place home. Through restoration, education, and community partnership, we’ve built a legacy rooted in care for our local ecology—and as we look to the next 35 years, we need you with us.

Your support fuels this work. Whether it’s a one-time gift or a long-term investment, every contribution helps us grow a more resilient and thriving Sonoma Valley. Join us in our 35 for 35 Earth Day campaign using the link below, and be part of the next 35 years.